Gushing leak causes chaos
FIRE SERVICE HAS TO ‘RESCUE’ PEOPLE FROM THEIR COTTAGES
A jet of water spurts into the air after a water main was damaged, causing floods in the village of Milford. Drivers became stranded in the water and people were rescued from their homes.
FAMILIES had to be rescued when a huge water main burst, flooding streets and closing the A6.
A geyser of water 40 feet high shot into the air at fields near Milford after Severn Trent said the pipe was fractured by a “third party”.
The A6 was closed in both directions after the burst took place yesterday lunchtime and was due to remain shut overnight.
Problems were reported near to the King William pub between Makeney Road and Hopping Hill, Milford.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted to say Severn Trent Water was dealing with the problem.
The tweet said: “Please be aware that Severn Trent is currently dealing with a burst water main on the A6 at Milford.
“This is causing considerable flooding to the area, please avoid the area where possible.”
As well as the A6, Derbyshire police say there were road closures at Shaw Lane and Red Lane.
Derby Telegraph reporter Rachel Sutherland said: “Rocks and pieces of tarmac are hurtling down Dark Lane with the water. It has spread across the roads.
“Staff at the Holly Bush Inn have made a barrier out of whatever they can find to stop flooding.”
Alex Wilbraham, owner of the Holly Bush Inn said: “It’s like a river. It’s been going for about an hour.
“We’ve made a barricade outside of the pub to stop the water flowing in. The volume and speed of it is crazy.”
Student nurse Heidi tweeted shocking pictures of the moment that the water main burst.
They show a huge gush of water shooting up into the air next to a field.
She said: “We live right opposite where the pipe burst. It was spraying up higher than the trees for a good hour or so.”
A firefighter at the scene said the fire service had been “rescuing” people from cottages.
Sandbags were being put down as gushes of water continued to pour down the streets of Milford.
Trent Barton said buses were unable to serve stops in the area and warned of delays.
A spokesman from Amber Valley Borough Council brought in 400 sandbags. The spokesman said: “The council has diverted all available resources to Milford with five vehicles taking a total of 400 sandbags (the entire stock) to the scene. “Council staff will be helping DCC and Fire and Emergency Services.” Around 3.30pm a police cordon was put in place on the bridge over the Derwent in Milford. Emergency services were on the scene and remained there for some time.
Beryl Hewitson, of Dark Lane, said: “We’re probably going to stay out here until we can’t see any more water, not sure how long that will be though. “My car is parked down on Makeney Road, I don’t know when I’ll get it back as the roads certainly won’t be fit to be driven on tomorrow or any time soon. “We use the car virtually every day so it’s going to affect us. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
Just before 3pm, Severn Trent Water said it was still working with emergency services to tackle the main.
It added it was checking with residents to ensure they were safe.
Its statement said: “We’re making good progress in isolating the pipe and expect to have the water turned off in the next hour or so. Once we’ve done that, we can start to dig down, assess the damage and start the repair. We don’t believe any customers will lose their water supply as a result of this.
“Our teams are now checking on customers in Milford, especially those people who’ve suffered flooding as a result of the water escaping. We continue to work with emergency services and would like to thank them for their continued help.”
Ian Busting talked about the damage to his home and his wife’s florist business.
He said: “My wife is devastated. Everything’s ruined. Someone will have to pay for all this.
“We have a large corporate order which needs to go out on Thursday.
“We’ll have to find a way of completing the order.”
Rafe Hock, owner of Riverside Fitness Centre said his business was also going to be shut for a while.
He said: “It started with just a surge of water at around 11.30 this morning and we noticed that cars coming past would cause a wave of water to enter the gym.
“We closed the road off eventually and the police came and helped us contain the traffic.
“There’s going to be a lot of damaged equipment in the gym but whatever will happen, it will dry or be replaced and we’ll probably be shut for a while.”
At 2.30pm, heavy congestion was still being reported around the Milford area.
Earlier, a Severn Trent spokesman
My wife’s devastated. Everything is ruined. Someone will have to pay for this. Ian Busting
said: “We’re currently dealing with a large pipe that’s been damaged by a third party in a field in Milford. Our teams are on site now and the good news is that no customers have been affected as a result.
“We’re aware there are reports that some homes have been flooded and that the A6 has also been affected, and we’d like to apologise to anyone who’s had an issue as a result of the water escaping.”
Pauline Latham, Conservative MP for Mid-Derbyshire took to twitter to post about the incident.
She said: “There have been shocking scenes of flooding in Milford today, but I am relieved to report that Severn Trent has successfully isolated the damaged pipe so no more water is escaping and its team is digging down to assess the damage and start the repair.”